Ella-of-the-Cinders
by sorka robinton
Summary: this is a cinderella story, but different from disney. However, its not originally based, so its in Fairy Tales. Its not your ordinary Cinderella story, because she's smart (gasp thats a shocker most fairytale girls are like clueless) and one wicked steps
1. Once upon a time...

this is a whim...as usual  
please read this and my other story, castle in the woods. i need help a bit.   
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Once upon a time...  
  
There was a Duke, a kind and generous man, who lived in the capital city of Arelde, the famed city that held the great King of the lands. He was the oldest brother of a long line of Dukes, each virtuous and moral nobles, and their legacy was evident in the well-to-do surroundings of the city and villages.   
  
Gentle Roane, for he was a second son, was brought up to be a physician, and trained as such for many years by the most renowned teachers and professors. A promising protogee, the boy grew to a man, and the man into the finest doctor seen for many years. And not only was he pleased with his accomplishments, he was also content and fulfilled by his occupation.   
  
This kind young man married, and produced a daughter in his second year of marriage. But, his life was not to be the fairy tale it began as, for his wife died in childbirth despite his frantic endeavors. He grieved at the loss of his soul mate, and turned to his child as a solace.   
  
Selene was a bright child, with her mother's pale skin and shining gold hair, and proved to be bouncy and attentive from the beginning. As she grew older, the lonely man took her with him on his medical visits, and her ample mind soaked up the knowledge like a sponge.   
  
"Father?" he would hear late at night, when she ought to have been in bed for an hour, "What is this?" Her tiny finger, positioned firmly on a multi-syllable word, would be as inquiring as her innocently long-lashed emerald eyes. And he would laugh, drawing her onto his lap, and explain in great detail the procedure and its outcomes, the symptoms and the diagnosis.   
  
So, the girl was a regular sight in Arelde, always trotting on her father's heels as he went from his office to home to yet another home. By the young age of thirteen, the girl had grown not only in size but in her education, for she was knowledgeable in medicine and experience.   
  
People began to ask her for advice in the streets, when she was walking alone to the market or the variety of small shops, needing advice for a swollen left leg or a throbbing headache. "For you' as smart-like as yourn father is," they gave explaination, proud of their city's fine young girl.   
  
When she was fourteen, the first Duke was suddenly dead with a heart attack, because of his rich eating habits but also the death of his fragile wife. Grieving for his brother, Roane found himself quickly immersed in the city's politics, as the new Duke. Feeling his obligation towards the city, he released his career and became absorbed in his duties.   
  
Politics not only ruined Roane's medical profession, but also his love. After a half-year of being prodded and poked at by society, he grudgingly took a wife, a minor noblewoman who had twin daughters from her other marriage, a year older than his Selene. In his kind nature, he hoped they would prove good company for his growing daughter.   
  
"Selene," he would say, in his mild voice, "You are growing so old now, and even though you are my little girl, you need a woman to talk to, because things are going to change." He patted her gold hair gently as she burst into tears. "Sweet, I will always be there, don't cry now," he reminded her with a smile.   
  
But he did leave her, only a year of marriage to his new wife. Quietly, in his sleep, Roane passed on in his fourtieth year. Selene was left with her two stepsisters and her step-mother Pertia, who was not as kind as she pretended to be.   
  
Morphing the small, pretty castle into a bustling court, Pertia quickly transformed Selene into a servant. "You, there," she commanded. "This is my home, and you have no right." Crushed by her father's death, the poor fifteen year old complied fearfully.   
  
In the tragedy, even the townspeople forgot about their quiet friend, and did not even miss the pretty girl going to and fro from the market place weekly. This was hard to imagine, since Selene, with her clear complexion, shining hair, and gentle emerald eyes had acquired many admirerers. But, she was forgotton, and her slender form was absorbed into the masses ordinary servant girls.   
  
Elesia and Elenia, the twin daughters of Pertia, were Selene's new assigned mistresses. Elenia, the younger twin, was a jealous creature who hated Selene for her beauty, though both sisters were pretty also, with shining auburn hair and clear blue eyes. However, the two lacked the inner radience of Selene, and the haughty expression of the younger, crueler daughter was apalling to even the most desperate of suitor.  
  
Forced by her jealous step-mother, Selene's ankle-length golden hair was constantly bound in an old kerchief. Elesia, the elder of the twins, had been the only obstacle that had prevented the entire thing from being shorn off, for she was kind but easily dominated by her cruel mother and sister.   
  
But rags and bound-hair could not stifle the beauty from Selene's face and form, for she was not only graced with harmonious features but with an innate kindness that she showed to everyone. The step-mother, despite her efforts, could not even prevail in this subject. Instead, she simply piled more and more chores and duties on her young step-daughter, now not called by her true noble name but an alias...Ella-in-the-Cinders.   
  
Thankfully, she thrived enough in this environment (with the help of Elesia), for fate was approaching slowly but steadily.  
  
  
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copyright sorka robinton 2001  
  
  
  



	2. Birth

hey thanks for reviewing, you two. hehes.   
  
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Carriages clattered over the polished stones in front of the Manor, scattering dirt and servants in its wake. "Ella!" Elenia shrieked, "Fetch me my scarf and veil, you worthless fool."   
  
A figure, clothed in simple garb, hurried back with the desired garmets. "Why were you so slow?" the girl scolded, her eyes scornful on the face, shadowed by the headcloth. "Ella-in-the-cinders," she added, a malicious twinkle in her cold blue eyes.   
  
Tossing her head, the motion twirling her pretty brown hair, she was off and riding to her enjoyment with her latest suitor, soon to be frightened away. The servant was left standing in the dust, her fists clenched beneath her long brown sleeves.   
  
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"Hurry!" The shouts of the servants rang out over the castle, conveying frantic fear. "Find the midwife!"   
  
"What?" Selene exclaimed, rising from where she fed the dogs the evening's scraps. Her mind sparkled with interest and curiousity, and she stood determined to somehow watch the scene.   
  
The housekeeper burst into the kitchen. "Hot water! Cloths! You stupid women, hurry! The Lady is having her first baby _now!" _  
  
The kitchen women wailed, shocked, but complied as Selene began to gather the materials and herbs needed for the job, almost subconciously preforming her previous occupation as apprentice physician. "Let's go," she said firmly, gesturing to the women behind her, similarily burdened with sheets, water, and liquids.   
  
A party consisting of an older man and woman, the pregnant girl and husband, and a young man were hurriedly trooping after Pertia. Inside the closest bedroom, a young sobbing woman was being toted gently onto the bed, far gone in her contractions. Blood soaked her clothing, making the fine blue brocade a muddy, forboding purple-scarlet. "My god!" Pertia screamed. "Cannot we find the midwife?" She wrung her hands, for once her aging features not composed haughtily.   
  
The Lady wailed again, spasms torturing her gravid frame.   
  
The housekeeper stepped forward. "Let me try!" she said, her rough voice unsure. "I once birthed my sister's child, the dear sweet thing." A man in the corner nodded leave, and the housekeeper soothed the Lady and fed her warm honeyed wine, like any stupid charlatan would do. She, after all, had never had dear Roane to tell her "never give an expecting woman alcoholic beverages."   
  
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Pertia pushed her aside after a half-hour. "You, out!" she screamed, her face mottling red with both frustration and humiliation. Turning to the man in the corner, she bowed gravely and murmered, "There is nothing we may do now, sir." She retreated several feet away from the well-dressed man, next to the fearful Elesia.   
  
Selene stared first at the young woman, than her stepmother, then back to the woman. Could she...? Evie, the milkmaid, had her baby in such a violent fashion as this, and she was able to help her give birth safely, and both were happy and healthy now. Gathering courage, she stepped forward to the immediate disgust of Pertia, who gave her an ominous glare.   
  
"I can help!" she whispered into Pertia's ear, her voice firm.   
  
Her stepmother, turning to her, hissed "Servant, you stay out of affairs you don't understand!" Pushing her firmly back into the wall, the stepmother glowered condescendingly at her.   
  
"Mother!" Elesia cried out as Selene hit the wall with a dull thunk.   
  
"Do you want her to die?" Selene said quietly, feeling desperation knawing at her throat. Who cared what punishment she would suffer after helping out? Too much blood, already! If any more time was wasted...  
  
"I think," the young man drawled, "that we should let this goodwife preform her duties." To Selene's surprise, Pertia gave in deferentially to this boy not much older than herself. His face, though concerned, seemed to find some humor in overriding the authority of this arrogant noblewoman.   
  
Selene took a deep breath, then curtsied to the family before shifting into her imitation of Roane. Elesia, hiding behind the doorway, slipped a clean white apron into her stepsister's hand before running away fearfully.   
  
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An hour later, the squirming baby was delivered with some difficulty, breech birth, and the Lady's narrow hips also did not help to hasten the situation. Selene, handing the bloody child to the housewife, breathed a sigh of relief to see the healthy boy-child alive and well.   
  
"A boy?" the Lady gasped, her hair soaked with sweat. Her eyes were already clearing from its ordeal, a good sign.   
  
Selene smiled, imperceptibly beneath her kerchief. "Yes, a fine boy." Gathering the bloodied sheets, she placed them in an empty basket for the onerous duty of scrubbing. Curtsying again to the family, she turned to take her leave, the heavy basket of herbs and potions weighing her small arm down.   
  
Pertia caught her just outside the door. "What do you think you were doing?" she hissed, grabbing her arm hard enough to bruise. "You are not the Duke's daughter anymore, you are nothing, you hear me?" Her voice rose angrily on the last sentence.   
  
Selene twirled around, her emerald eyes cold. "I saved her life, in your home! More than i should have done, except that she was suffering, and doing you honor in this _stolen _palace of yours-" She was cut off with a sharp slap, then another. The girl, fierce in her uncharactericly defiant anger, did not even flinch.   
  
Quietly, as if nothing had happened, Selene continued coldly, "And you would rather let her die than allow me to try and save her!" She ducked skillfully from the third blow, disheveling her bound hair.   
  
"You devil!" Pertia gasped, her hauteur restored by her violence. "I should have done away with you long before this, girl, for all that your useless father's wealth financed _my _rise to power!"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Corren, sitting by his sister's bedside, smiled at the sleeping baby. His brother-in-law looked as emotionally exhausted, his eyes bloodshot. "Sis," Corren whispered.   
  
She opened one amber eye, smiling at her younger brother. "I'm fine," she managed back, grinning slyly. "You are so squemish, how are you ever going to hold the throne?"  
  
He stared back, his expression serious. "Do you still worry about that? That I, the younger, would rule simply because i'm male? I know-" he hushed her protest, "that you used to mind when we were younger."   
  
The princess glared back. "I did not! Besides," she tickled the tiny baby's nose gently, "I think i have my work cut out for me." Gripping her husbands hand, her sigh of happiness coincided exactly with the sound of a blow echoing through the hall. A second slap came quickly, which was followed by the angry voice of that Duchess Whats-Her-Name, slightly muffled by the walls.   
  
Corren's eyes met his father's, who was still standing in his corner of the room with his mother. His mouth twitched. "Oh, go on boy," he said. "I know what you're going to do."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
By that time, Pertia had dashed the basket of herbs to the floor, scattering the packets dried leaves and bottles extensively. "Pick it up!" she dictated, demonically enjoying her power over the girl. She laughed scornfully, until the sound of a single foot tapping impatiently broke through the ruddy haze that clouded her mind.   
  
"Excuse me," the calm and slightly indignant voice of the young man interrupted. "And what is this? The goodwife who has healed the Princess is now being tormented, and by this 'fine' Lady?" he gestured to Pertia, a sardonic edge to his melodious voice.   
  
The stepmother halted her actions, bowing to the young man. "Your Highness," she murmered.   
  
Turning away from Pertia, the boy- Prince?- looked at Selene. "Ma'am, my father woul-" he startled audibly as he caught sight of her golden braid and young face, showing from behind the faded kerchief- "Miss? My father requires a word with you."   
  
Rising, Selene followed the Crown Prince back inside the room, her hands trembling slightly with fear and shock at finally meeting the monarch of the Kingdom.   
  
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copyright sorka robinton 2001 


	3. 

gabriella- since selene was 14 when her dad was duke, and then half a year passed before he married, and then another two or so years, shes about 16 years old. I would suppose Corrin is about eighteen or so, give or take a wee bit. I dont want him that much older than her, thats weird if hes like 30 or something gross like that.   
  
theola-sorry its confusing, i still gotta edit so maybe it will get clearer...  
  
thanks for reviewing, people, even if i didn't exactly mention everyone's names...i appreciate it!  
  
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Selene followed the prince back into the bedroom. "Your Highness?" she whispered, horribly unsure of what to do. "I shouldn't be here, what will my ste- i mean, Madame Pertia say?" The prince shook his head firmly at this comment as he opened the door for her.   
  
The King, standing in the corner, walked forward. "Thank you, healer, for saving my daughter's life," he said, his voice rich and warm in the spacious room. "And i truly hope you have not suffered any unneeded...consequences for your services."   
  
"Oh, no Sire," she said quietly. She curtsyed hastily, kneeling on the floor deferentially in front of them.   
  
The King, a tall man, stared down at her gravely from a great distance, his golden eyes thoughtful. "You are very skilled at your work," he commented. "Have you been in practice long? For you seem to have plenty of experience."   
  
Selene began to answer as the Queen, as small in stature as her husband was big, moved forward calmly. "Husband, dear, she is but a young thing," her gentle voice said, "for all she hides her glorious hair behind a kerchief." Corren nodded in agreement as the King, turning sharply, suddenly studied her features so closely she shifted with discomfort.   
  
"Child," the Queen prodded gently, her hazel eyes gazing at Selene. "Could you trust us with your true appearance?"   
  
Selene could see no way out, besides offending the royal family. Reaching up hesitantly, she removed the faded kerchief and slowly let it drop to the floor. Her braid, tumbling to the floor, shone well in the candlelight and fell with a soft thump on the rich carpet.   
  
"Why, Mother!" the princess exclaimed, looking up wearily from the bed. "She's so lovely, and not much older than Corren?" she inquired, curious.   
  
Turning her face towards the floor, Selene shook her head. "I am sixteen," she murmured quietly, and the princess nodded.   
  
Looking at her husband, the princess tried to take her husbands arm playfully, but lacked the energy for such a large movement. "See? She is only a year or so younger than my brother. I know because i saw her over me while i was sick, like an angel." Her voice trailed off weakly. Her husband, still drawn with worry for his wife, nodded as he cradled the sleeping baby quietly.   
  
The King sighed kindly. "Child, as my daughter is still weak and pale with her ordeal, we would wish you to care for her during our stay at Mistress Pertia's home." Seeing her facial expression give protest, the King continued, "I shall see to it that this is your main work, and that you are excused from other duties as this is more important."   
  
"Thank you, Sire," she whispered. Rising, she bowed once again to the family and quietly slipped through the door. For once, unshielded by her restraining headcovering, she walked past the gaping Pertia without fear.   
  
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"Miss?" Selene twisted around from her table, scattering a few stray leaves to the floor. Leaning against the doorframe was the Prince. "Can I come in?"   
  
She nodded, "Of course!" Then, however, she remembered her manners and stood hastily to curtsy. Blushing at her ineptness, she gestured to the other chair in the small herbal workroom. "I'm just replenishing some of my stocks, since..." Snatching up her kerchief, she began to bind up her hair again.   
  
"Since the mishap in the hallway," the boy's voice returned, slightly laced with humor. "And you don't really need that thing, do you?" he added, looking at the worn head covering. "I won't tell."   
  
"Oh," she began, embarrassed. "All right, your Highness." Picking up a pestal, filled with sweet ground cinnimon, she began to pour small amounts into tiny cloth bags. Picking up a pen and the small labels she made from scraps of parchment, Selene carefully wrote "cinnimon" several times, slightly unnerved by the presence of the Crown Prince watching her.   
  
"You can write," he commmented, his eyes thoughtful as he regarded her neat, accurate script. She nodded slightly, wondering why he looked so surprised.   
  
"Yes," Selene answered, avoiding his lovely golden eyes with unexplainable shyness. What was wrong with her? "Um...I usually work with the herbs, teas, and garden, though I am also usually assigned to cleaning the mistresses rooms."   
  
Somehow her voice betrayed some indignation, because the prince looked at her strangely. His mouth opened to ask a question when the door slammed open.   
  
Elenia walked in haughtily, and grabbed the kerchief off the table. "Ella, what did Mother say abou..." she stopped, seeing the Prince seated at the table. "Your Highness," she murmered, suddenly a gentle, mild noblewoman. She curtsyed, fluttering an ornate fan that had been produced from out of nowhere.   
  
"Good afternoon," the prince replied stiffly, obviously annoyed by the sudden change in personalities.   
  
Turning back to Selene, Elenia smiled sweetly. "Ella dear, could I please have some of you _wonderful _mint leaves?" she simpered. "They left such a lovely scent in my room."   
  
Picking up a packet of dried mint, Selene handed it to the false girl. "Oh, thank you!" she said, accepting it daintily. "Ella-in-the-Cinders," she whispered. Bowing to the prince once more, she gracefully left the small workroom with a swish of satin skirts.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The prince grimaced. "I would just die if i had to live with her," he sighed, turning to the girl. He was startled to see her fists clenched beneath her homespun skirts, her emerald eyes sparking with fury.   
  
"I have never asked your name yet," he inquired, at a loss for words. "Is it Ella?"   
  
She turned away, her thick golden braid hiding her face from view. "Ella-in-the-Cinders," she replied bitterly, trying to control her voice and anger.   
  
Corren stared at her. What was wrong? "Is that not your name?" he asked, before nearly slapping himself on the head. "Of course thats not your name." He paused, feeling like an idiot. "Could you tell me your true name?"   
  
Her face still bowed to her lap, she shook her head. "Your Highness, I am not supposed to tell, for if I do, I shall be punished."   
  
"I will not tell," he said, leaning closer. "I would like to be your friend, for my family shall be here for a while, and it does get lonely." He smiled slightly, remembering Pertia and the abominable Elenia. "And i don't wish to keep company with the _others _in the household."   
  
She laughed softly. "Elesia is kind," she said, defending her friend.   
  
"Well, true. But then, I haven't met her."   
  
Calmer now, she whispered, "You promise not to tell a soul, your Highness?" He nodded. Then slowly, as if someone else might hear, she breathed out her name. "Selene."   
  
"Selene, I'm Corren." He held out his hand, and she shook it firmly.   
  
"Thank you, your Highness," she said with some relief, as if some burden was lifted from her when she had uttered her name.   
  
Grinning, the boy protested, "You don't have to call me that, you know. I'm not High yet and we're pretty much the same age." Tilting her head, she looked at him blankly. "Yesterday, you said that you were sixteen?" At her nod, he continued. "I'm almost eighteen, but my father treats me like i'm twelve." She laughed at his exasperation, more at ease now in his presence.   
  
"All right, your Hi-" she stopped herself in time as he made a choked, strangled noise. Giggling hopelessly, she managed to say, "Sorry," as she smiled up at him, face awash with impish delight.   
  
Corren's heart fluttered twice, and then all was normal again. Shaking his head once to dispel the sensation, he leaned back in his chair. "Can I help?"   
  
Reaching up above her to grab a bundle of drying herbs from the rafters, she nodded. "This is comfrey," she told him, picking up a needle and thread to make more small bags to hold the herbs. He nodded, and began to pull apart the tangled leaves in companionable silence.   
  
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r and r? any comments, etc?  
  
  



	4. 

hey again...thanks for reviewing!  
  
i know, i love to have a character to hate...so it will be Pertia. i wont make elenia totally evil, cause shes still so young.   
  
This chapter with stars etc was inspired by the dvorak's American string quartet, second movement. My quartet is learning it, and its so pretty.   
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Selene watched as the Princess Ryth hesitantly made her way around the garden. "You seem to be gaining health, your Highness," she said, as the young woman tottered around the cobblestone path weakly.   
  
She looked up and smiled, her dark hair gleaming in the near-dusk. "I hope so," she said cheerfully, reaching a small stone bench. Sitting with a sigh, she took the squirming baby from her quiet husband. "I do wish to be well again," she said wistfully. "These have been three long weeks."   
  
"It was a hard labor, and quite a physical ordeal," the healer told the princess."Never fear, it shall be soon," Gathering up various wrappers and shawls, Selene smiled at the young woman, who grinned back. Bundling Ryth up warmly, she saw to it that both the princess and her husband were comfortably in their rooms before returning for her basket of draughts and salves.   
  
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"Let's see," Selene muttered to herself. "I have the four original bottles, and the seventeen packets of herbs...where's the fever potion?" Shuffling through the handwoven basket, she searched fruitlessly through the medicines.   
  
"Lost something?" the cruel voice of Pertia broke through the trees. She held up one hand, holding the small vial between her two fingers. Laughing, she retreated as Selene stood up.   
  
"May I have it back, please?" the girl asked quietly, her rage under substantial control.  
  
The woman cackled. "No," she taunted. "I do enjoy baiting you like this, it serves as entertainment." Pausing in exaggerated thought, she touched one finger to her chin. "It pleases me to see the daughter of the 'great duke' humbled by servitude."   
  
Selene gritted her teeth. No, not again, she prayed. I don't think i can stand another moment like this. Refusing to look at the usurper, she kept her eyes trained to the ground.   
  
"Great Duke indeed," Pertia scoffed. "Now I wield his power, and his _precious _daughter." She laughed again, the piercing noise sending shattering pain through Selene's mind. "He doted on you so, and that makes torturing you much more fun. And look at me while i speak." Selene's eyes misted over with tears of rage at the mention of her father.   
  
The woman snatched up the kerchief, flinging it at Selene repeatedly until the girl put it on. "And what is this about you speaking with the Prince?" she asked, dropping the vial of fever drink on the pavement, stepping over the broken glass. "I don't want to hear about that again, Cinder Ella. It isn't becoming for a _servant _who oversteps their place." Gripping the girl's upper arm, twisting it tightly until she gasped with pain, she slowly turned Selene's face upward.   
  
"And," a voice said behind Selene drawled, its tenor notes laced with anger, "It isn't becoming for a prominent noblewoman to torment a beholden servant, who is favored by the royal family for her skills." Corren smiled sardonically as Pertia stepped away from Selene so quickly she nearly stumbled.   
  
"I may be young," he said clearly, when the astonished Pertia began to color with anger, "but i have respect for fellow human beings."   
  
"Well, I never!" the woman exclaimed. "Good day, your Highness." Swishing her skirts, she practically ran away from the scene before she said something rash before the Heir.   
  
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"Selene?" the boy whispered as he slowly slid over to her side. She shook her head, rubbing her sore arm.   
  
"I hate her," she said passionately, as tears began to leak over her rosy cheeks. Tearing off the head scarf, she flung it to the ground and with a heartbroken sob. "Why can't she just leave me alone?"   
  
Kneeling by her, the prince offered her a hankerchief. "Can I help?" he said quietly. He had never before realized...how hard life was for others. The gilded palace was a poor substitute for real life, especially the reality that the less fortunate bore.   
  
Shaking her head, the girl sniffled twice before ending her crying. If he had just gotten there earlier, in time to intercept Pertia...Corren felt so guilty for letting her down. Through all their three weeks together, she had taught him so much about herbs, friendship, and life- and all he had to offer her the protection his rank permitted- yet he had let her down. Drawing the sorrowful girl into his arms, he held her tightly until her shoulders stopped shaking with tears. "Shh," he said, stroking her hair gently.   
  
Wiping her eyes, Selene shook her head again. "Sorry," she muttered. "Shouldn't have broken down like this..."   
  
"She's a witch!" the boy exclaimed, just about ready to slap Pertia for her cruelty. He ran his fingers though his long, dark hair, deeply agitated for his gentle friend's sake.   
  
"But," Selene said softly, "she is in charge...but I wish she wouldn't speak so badly about my father...he was not agressive, that's true, but he was kindhearted and-" her words caught in her throat for a moment- "I miss him." She smiled, her eyes trained on the now darkened sky.   
  
"When I was a little girl," she breathed, "Papa told me that each star in the sky was a jewel. And if I reached out my hand, I could catch the divine gems, and they would descend to my palm like Zeus to Danae." She held her hand aloft, seemingly cupping one bright star in her pale, slender palm. Turning to Corren, she grinned. "Do you know the story?"   
  
"The princess locked in the tower," the prince replied. "To whom the Gods visited in her loneliness, falling down in a shower of golden light to meet her in divine marriage. Greek," he added with a smile.   
  
Nodding, Selene continued, the starry sky reflected in her green eyes, wide and brilliant with sorrow and shimmering tears. "He told me that whenever I'm truly lonely, I could stretch out my arm and clasp a star. And that when I fell in love, it would settle around me like falling stars." She shook her head back and laughed sadly into the chilly night air, her golden hair settling around her shoulders with her movement. "He told me this when I was thirteen years old," she continued with a wry grin, "so this conversation was in the context of the future, specifically betrothal and marriage."  
  
She paused for a long moment. "I never thought that someday, so soon, I would have to reach out to the sky alone. But now he's gone, and I still do this whenever I miss him the most." Her arm still outstretched, she sighed once and closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them again to regard the night sky solemnly.   
  
Corren watched the girl, the reflection of the crescent moon and her starry attendants gleaming into her tear-brightened eyes. Her upturned face was sorrowful, reminiscing of much better times, and one or two pearl-like tears slipped from her long lashes to the ground. Turning back to him, Selene smiled, though her eyes were still overflowing with sadness.   
  
Speaking softly, Corren took a deep breath, overwhelmed by the poignant story she had just told. His voice forceful with emotion, he took her yet outstretched hand in his. "Selene," he whispered, "He is still watching over you."   
  
"I hope so," she replied with one last glance towards the deep blue sky. "Thank you," she said softly, squeezing his hand before releasing it. "For being my friend, and helping me..."   
  
Standing up, she gathered her basket together. "Well," she sighed, "I must get back to work. And I think your sister is really getting better, in a week or so she should be back to normal."   
  
He managed a laugh, still affected by her speech. "She needs to whip her husband back into shape, she's the spouse with more sense and assertiveness," he told his friend, "Without her, Jems is just a pale but amiable shadow on the wall."   
  
"By the way," Selene asked, hefting her bundle. "Did you study Greek?"   
  
He nodded sadly. "My tutor taught me," he said ruefully. "I enjoyed the myths, as you can see, for i remember them yet. But the language!" he moaned as they walked out of the garden. "It was torture..."  
  
Her replying laugh faded off as they made their way through the trees and away from the small garden courtyard.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
copyright sorka robinton 2001


	5. 

hey'  
thanks for reviewing...sos, sorry theres so much "happy" things, dont worry Pertia the bi7ch will always be there to be herself. especially when it gets gooey etc. :) shes my evil one.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The footman heaved the last trunk onto the carriage as the Princess Ryth walked sedately with her baby, her quiet husband trotting at her heels.   
  
Unlike the other servants, Selene watched the procession from the kitchen window. The king and queen waited by the steps of the gate, conversing with Pertia, Elenia, and Elesia. The latter daughter wrung her hands under her skirt, dreadfully nervous at the close proximity of the royal family.   
  
Selene sighed. The month had ended too quickly, though Ryth was not fully healed. She would miss Corren, and his friendship, dearly.   
  
"Selene?" a quiet voice said behind her. She turned hastily, upsetting the stool she sat upon. Corren grinned as she blushed, picking up the offending seat from the ground. "I have to leave now," he said slowly, as if wishing to prolong his stay.   
  
"I know," she replied, wondering what to say. Would the Prince, returning to his exquisite palace and worldly position, remember a passing servant girl? Her eyes threatened to spill over, yet she stubbornly held back her tears behind her calm emerald gaze.  
  
He stood there, the strangest look in his golden brown eyes. "I...am so glad to have met you," he stumbled over his words, "When I can, I will visit...that is, if it's all right..." he added hastily.   
  
Selene grinned, her turn to find humor in the other's dismay. "Of course! That is, if you can survive Pertia throwing her younger daughter at you whenever you come."   
  
Groaning, Corren fended off the imaginary girl with protesting hands. "Ahhh! Too scary!" he joked. "She's almost like a predator, they both seem to know where I am, and how to 'attack' me while i'm least expecting it..." He knew he was babbling, but didn't care.   
  
"Corren?" The queen's voice broke through their indivisual reveries, and startling them both into movement. "We're going to leave, and without you!"   
  
"Coming!" he hollered back. Turning back to Selene, the young man took her hand in both of his awkwardly. "Thank you, for everything." He kissed her hand, blushing, then turned and fled through the kitchen door, leaving a thoroughly shocked girl with her hand still poised in the air.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
One week later, Elesia walked timidly into the small herbal workroom. "Selene?" she said quietly, carrying a box of pink silk pieces and ribbons. "Mother wants us- well, you- to make sachets for her party in two days, rose and lilac. But it shall be _we _who make these." Offering the box, the painfully slender girl sat across from Selene and began to thread a needle.   
  
They chattered about the upcoming banquet, the guests, who was seeing who and who married who for half an hour. Quietly and neatly, they sewed the tiny bags to be filled with dried petals.   
  
"Elesia?" Selene began, almost as timidly as her step-sister usually spoke.   
  
"Yes?"   
  
She flushed. "Why does your mother hate me so?" she asked, for the first time in the two years she had known Pertia. "And your sister?"   
  
Elesia put down her sewing, smoothing the pale, silky cloth. "Well," she said slowly, deliberately, "I know my mother dislikes you because she...disliked...your father," the girl said tactfully. "She wants to keep you quiet so you cannot claim a portion of the fortune she acquired through her unloved marriage. Also, she is hateful because you are everything she wishes her Elenia to be, so she continuously grinds you into the common soil as a servant."   
  
The brunette paused for a long while, hand poised over the rose-silk sachet. "Elenia is spiteful because Mother wishes her to be beautiful, accomplished, and popular, let alone make a good match. Though she meets these requirements, she is forced to struggle to maintain it. She loathes you because, dear sister, you can obviously do all four without any effort." The gentle girl sighed, ending her uncharacteristically sentimental explaination, and sat silently once again.   
  
Selene drank in the information. "Thank you," she said softly. "I have been wondering for so long...But," she added, "why do you not hate me also? I know Pertia pressures you also."   
  
Elesia smiled, her blue eyes candid. "Mother doesn't pressure me half as much as she does to my sister," she laughed, her pretty face alight with mischief, "and besides, I like you. It seems sometimes that you are my true sibling and the other some faerie's changeling."   
  
They giggled together for a second or two, imagining Elenia with wings, forever nagging at the flower petals and soft moss. Elesia shook her chestnut curls, dispelling all bad thoughts. "By the way, have you heard who the latest Elenia Courter is?" Selene looked up inquiringly, and her step-sister proceeded to tell the latest gossip.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Corren sat at his window, staring into the dark blue sky. "Catch one in your hand," he whispered to himself, curbing the urge to reach out as Selene did. Barely managing to do this, he reminded himself that the girl probably didn't even care about him, or even remember.   
  
"What a fool I am," Corren muttered. He missed her so much...his only true friend, unconditionally accepting him for who he was, not just his crown or title. Like those court girls, who chirped brainlessly for attention. He was not a naturally suave or flirtatious person, to their dismay, so they felt the hideous need to crowd around him more, until he felt like screaming in frustration.  
  
He sighed, going over the list in his mind. Three months before he needed to make a choice. Who was he to break three hundred years of tradition? The prince _had _to be betrothed before his eighteenth birthday. Parades of endless girls, all suitable matches, flashed before his eyes, all demure with eyes downcast in mock shyness.   
  
And yet, he knew which girl he loved already, one who stood in the corner, whose green eyes met his gaze firmly, without fear or reserve.   
  
Utterly miserable, he gave in and extended one hand to the silver-spotted sky, cupping one sparkling star in his palm. Little did he know that Selene, on the other side of the river, was holding the same star in her own hand, her heart aching for the loss of her Prince.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  



	6. Royal Invites

hey...  
  
sos- whooooa...temper, temper. anyway, yeah i post quickly. and i'll be sure to make pertia and elenia both like total evil people, and don't worry. i planned for a bit of violence on their part.   
  
~~~~~~~~~`  
  
The next morning, Elesia sat back with a sigh. "There we go! All forty of those silly, stupid, frilly, _useless _pieces of silk, which will probably be thrown away..." She stood up and stretched her tired arms, leaning on the kitchen table.   
  
Gathering up the sachets and dumping them into a sack, Selene grinned. "And everyone says that you're calm."   
  
Laughing, Elesia cleared the bits of lace and string, throwing them into the wastebasket. "Well, I _am _shy, except when i talk to you," she asserted. "Otherwise...I dont talk and turn red."   
  
A knock at the door caused her to jump. "Now i have to hide!" Elesia squeaked. "I can't bear to talk to people!" She grabbed the bundle of pink sachets and ran into the small herbal workroom with a shudder.   
  
Selene shook her head, tying on her head scarf. "Oh, you." Walking up to the door, she opened it quickly. To her great surprise, Corren stood there, garbed in a plain, rough shirt and breeches. Shaking his dark hair out of the cap, he grinned, his golden eyes shining at her. Her heart flipped over once, then twice, at his familiar smile.   
  
"Didn't expect me, did you?" he replied to her openmouthed gape. Dumbly, she shook her head. "Well, I said i would visit, though it took me a week to run away. I managed to sneak in," he said smugly, "right under Pertia's nose." As he stepped in the room, his keen eyes caught a glimpse of Elesia peeking out from the herb-room before the door tilted shut and a bolt locked.   
  
"So," Selene asked, her voice ringing in her ears, "How are you doing?" With a sigh, she removed the kerchief from her head, a habit that had begun to grow on her.   
  
"I'm fine," he said, struggling to draw something out of his pocket. "I have something for you and Elesia." He paused, aiming his voice at the adjoining room jokingly. "If she will come out, that is."   
  
The door creaked open, and the girl tiptoed out with a curtsy. Standing directly behind Selene, Elesia peeked out from the taller girl's shoulder. Corren looked startled, surprised at her timid approach. "I'm not going to bite you," he said, his brow furrowed in confusion.   
  
She nodded and sat at the table with them, her eyes wide. Corren sighed once, then held out the pretty envelopes with one hand. "There's a ball," he said, handing the papers out to both of them, "And these are invitations. My father was going to send them, but I decided to come instead."   
  
"Unfortunately, there's one for Elenia," he said, his shoulders drooping with exaggerated sadness. He looked so rueful that even Elesia's shoulders began to shake with silent laughter. The stepsister looked at Selene, her eyes beginning to light up, and giggled out loud, her posture visibly relaxing.   
  
"Corren," Selene protested. "Pertia shall never let me go."   
  
He stood up, a humorous twinkle in his eye. "If you are not there, I do believe i shall come back here and attack her...but really, I suppose she shall have no choice." He was instantly rewarded with her glorious smile.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ten minutes after Corren left, Elenia flounced into the room. "Where is your head scarf?" she demanded, before her attentions changed to other topics. "And Mother!" she said loudly. "Here are the invitations everyone was talking about!"   
  
Pertia walked in, spotting the envelopes. "Ah," she exclaimed. "One week away! Thats only a short time to prepare! Ella," she warned, "Whe did these come? I have not heard a messenger."  
  
"She probably tried to hide them," Elenia supplied.   
  
Snatching up the papers, Pertia sneered. "Probably, but she's too stupid to manage that task." Opening all three of the sealed parchments, she looked up. "One for you, Ella?" she said, slightly stunned.   
  
"Mother," Elesia began, before she was cut off by Elenia.   
  
"Oh," her sister hissed. "So you knew about this, too?" Elesia flinched, but held her ground. Selene marveled how the Prince's brief visit had changed her kind stepsister's nature...perhaps it was companionship that strengthened her assertiveness?  
  
"No," Elesia replied calmly, "The Prince himself brought these to our door. And the royal family would be displeased if Ella were not present."   
  
"Well," Pertia snapped. "I suppose you-" she pointed to Selene haughtily- "Shall find your own means of dress. And since my elder daughter has been an accomplice in this act, she shall be punished the same." Pertia, completely ignoring Elesia, turned back to the other room with Elenia following obediantly.  
  
"Elenia," her voice could be heard through the walls, "We shall go shopping for your gown presently."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The house was silent, for the other servants had been given the day to prepare for the coming feast.   
  
"Selene?" Elesia's voice said. "What shall we do?"   
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Wear for the ball!" her stepsister all but wailed. "I have several old gowns, but they are quite worn and obviously too small for us to actually wear for the occasion."   
  
"I probably cannot go," Selene said, with more than a hint of sorrow in her voice, "But surely I can make you a dress, with something..." She paused in thought, trying to be cheerful for Elesia's sake. "There's a bunch of velvet in the attic, under my bed, that Pertia has forgotten about. There should be enough, so I can try..."   
  
Elesia stood up. "I dont want to go if you are not coming! You deserve to go!" she said fiercely.   
  
Another knock sounded at the door. With a sigh, Selene stood to open it. A woman, her hair greying around the temples, stood in front of the kitchen holding a basket. "Are you Ella?" she said with a smile. Glancing inside the kitchen, the woman caught sight of the other girl at the table. "And Elesia, I presume," she said kindly. Selene nodded and opened the door for her.   
  
"I'm Terah," the matronly woman said. "Prince Corren sent me to collect dress measurements." Elesia let out a gasp of surprise.   
  
"I beg your pardon?" she squeaked.   
  
Terah smiled. "I was Corren's nursemaid," she told them, "And he sent me on a 'special' mission to get both of your sizes so gowns could be made. He thought there might be a mishap." Her brown eyes took in the tearstreaks on Elesia's face and the disappointment of Selene. "And I dare say he was right. Smart boy, that prince."   
  
With the help of her measuring tape, Terah's critical eye quickly absorbed their figures and coloring. "Well," she said briskly, "It shall be here by the end of the week."   
  
"Thank you, ma'am," Selene said gratefully. Elesia echoed her reply.   
  
"Oh, don't thank me," Terah said, her eye landing slyly on Selene. "Thank Corren. As I said, he's a smart boy," she added cryptically as she left.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  



	7. Terah

hey y'all...thanks.  
  
and some of you saw this, but terah is the "fairy" godmother. hehehes. shes cool, reminds me of my mom: meddling but nice.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Terah examined the two gowns, her eye catching no mistakes. "I think they're done," she said, packing them safely into the boxes. Corren groaned, running his fingers through his hair with anxiety, a habit he just couldn't quit.   
  
"Stop that," his nurse replied waspishly. "You'll lose all your hair."   
  
"And I can be coddled by Nanny at the same time I'm supposed to marry?" he said angrily, more frustrated by the situation than her reprimand. "At seventeen I'm supposed to make my life decision?"   
  
"Oh hush, you." The woman bustled about, storing jewel boxes, ribbons, and shoes industriously. "One way or another, you _know _your father will let you marry her."   
  
"What?" he squeaked, his voice cracking on the highest note. His cheeks flushed.  
  
Terah smiled knowingly. "You do know, and Ella is such a sweet girl." Closing her lips at his glare, she hummed innocently to herself. "Oh, dearie me, I'm late!"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
The day of the ball, Elenia returned laden with boxes. "Well," she said, her voice snide, "I suppose I am prepared for the grand ball." She held out her hand, which contained four small red gemstones set in a clasp and ribbon. "Its only the latest fashion," she explained condecendingly.   
  
Selene kept quiet, for secretly she didn't know what they were for. "I'm so glad for you," she said too sweetly, her voice loaded with syrupy sarcasm. She stirred the potion for the scullery maid's toothache, pouring it into a wooden flask before turning around to smile witheringly at her stepsister.   
  
"Oh, you be quiet, Ella-Cinder," Elenia snapped before running off to try on her gown.   
  
Elesia peeked into the room. "Do you think we shall be dressed in time?" she asked worriedly. "Terah said they would be here at noon..."   
  
The sun was past its zenith by the time the woman arrived, accompanied by a carriage and four maids. "Sorry," she said busily. "There was some kind of problem or another."   
  
The attendants swept in, carrying shimmering silk gowns. Elesia gasped, and only Selene's pride kept her from doing the same. "Oh glory," Elesia whispered. "It's so beautiful..."   
  
Selene swallowed. She had a feeling this was going to be a long process...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
And it was. Four hours later, they were fully garbed in splendid attire.   
  
The bath itself took nearly an hour, for the perfumed soap did not rinse off easily. Six basins of water and three rinses each finally removed the last of the suds.   
  
"Really," Elesia said softly. "I can do it." The maid shook her head firmly and continued combing out her tangled hair.   
  
"It's easier this way," the woman gritted, struggling through the knotted locks with a comb. "Now, put on the gown so i can lace the back shut." Elesia obliged, stepping into the pale blue gown, its capped sleeves and umpire bodice making her look like a princess out of a fairy story.   
  
"Oh, goodness!" Selene exclaimed as her gown's laces were tied. The green silk, exactly matching her eyes, swirled around her ankles heavily for it was embroidered all around with gold thread in the shape of blooming roses. The material was cut in a full, but not burdensome, skirt with tiny winking emeralds set at hem and neck. The sleeves were long, tapering down to her wrists, but began low off her shoulders. "This is glorious," she whispered to Terah.   
  
"Hold still," was her stern reply. She held out a box, filled to the brim with emerald stones and silken green ribbons, almost like Elenia's four but larger. "If you move now, you hair will unweave itself, and then you'll have to deal with _me." _  
  
Elesia turned around, light blue stones being woven into her auburn braid. "Elenia's going to be angry, isn't she?" the girl asked with a wicked smile.   
  
Selene laughed, trying not to create motion, while the dozens of gems were woven into her long golden braid. "She's going to throw a fit!" she told her stepsister. "Or have heart failure from shock!"   
  
Terah twirled the girl to face the mirror. "Ella, look." The reflection showed a true lady, her shining yellow hair twisted into a single braid that swung near the floor. Graceful poise, elegant dress, and for once her worried eyes filled with some kind of hope. "Corren will think you look beautiful," the woman remarked.   
  
Blushing, Selene bit her lip, shoving all thoughts about her friend out of her mind before she blurted something rash. "Oh," she said blandly. Terah snorted and stood to examine Elesia.   
  
"Silly children," Selene heard her mutter as she trotted away. "Can't see what's right in front of their faces. Making my hair grey, nowday's young folk don't have no sense..."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Well," Terah said as they stood in front of the gate. "Your carriage shall be coming soon, so i better be off."   
  
"Thank you so much!" Selene said warmly, meaning every word. "This is so wonderful!"   
  
"Thank you!" Elesia repeated, her blue eyes as shining as the jewels in her hair.   
  
Terah grinned. "The prince and his cousin Trenel shall be by shortly." She laughed good-naturedly at their blank expressions. "They're your escorts," she explained with a slightly impish smile.   
  
Selene's cheeks flushed, and her eyes glowed brightly at the thought of her Corren. Terah supressed a laugh before hopping into the wagon and waving goodbye.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  



	8. the first ball

hey thanks for reviewing!  
  
no i never saw ever after, but i think i have it planned out pretty well anyway...and as a hint, this is only the first ball...hehehehehehe  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Elenia pranced by, clad in a red satin gown, her hair in waist long braids. "But not nearly as well done as Terah fixed ours," her sister whispered. Turning to look at the other two, waiting for their carriage, her reddened lips opened with shock.  
  
"Well, I never!" she exclaimed, regaining her composure. Her sharp blue eyes, hawklike in their scrutiny, traversed their silk gowns, bejeweled hair, wrists, and neck, even glancing at the dainty, matching dancing slippers. "Hmph! Well, have fun walking there, my escort _Lord _Ermer shall be here shortly." Turning her nose, the girl sniffed and ignored them after her harangue.   
  
Selene stifled a giggle. "Does she know?" she asked Elenia, for once delighted in showing up the wicked stepsister. "I know its wrong to take so much joy in this, but..."   
  
Elesia shook her auburn braids, their length falling past her hips. "I think under these circumstances," she replied, her eyes merry, "we have a perfect right."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Four minutes later, a cream colored carriage was seen from the road, pulled by four lovely white mares with flowing rose and gold ribbons woven into their long, silky manes. Real blossoms, no doubt plucked that day from the rose garden, adorned the doors and windows of the small carriage.   
  
Elenia made a small, scornful cough, quite ladylike in even her distain. "I suppose that is my conveyance," she said airly, lifting the edge of her satin skirt.  
  
The rose and gold door opened to reveal the slightly tousled head of Corren. "You're there?" he said, looking up, annoyed, as a thornless branch poked him in the head. "Aagh."   
  
Selene laughed and even Elesia smiled at the Prince's obvious discomfort in social activities. "We're here," she replied, walking past the staring Elenia without a backwards glance. Helping first one, and then the other, into the small courtly carriage, they settled themselves comfortably across from one another.   
  
"Sel- Ella, Elesia," Corren said tiredly, as if the whole procedure terribly bored him, "This is my cousin Trenel. Trenel, this is Ella and Elesia."   
  
The boy, around the same age as Corren himself, grinned. "Hey," he said, his grey eyes lighting up. "I'm the cousin of this mismatched, unsociable bloke." Trenel's hair, quite fairer than his reletive's, swept back from his forehead and dangled neatly yet still giving the laid-back appearance. He wore a tasteful blue and grey outfit, matching Elesia's nicely.   
  
"Trouble maker, that one is," Corren grumbled to Selene.   
  
Trenel looked up from his good-natured but teasingly exaggerated dismay of Elesia, who had pressed herself as far away from him in the double seat as possible. "Nay, I'm not a trouble maker, just someone who finds himself in strange and unusual situations."   
  
Coren made a choking noise. "Yes, sure. And who poured that abominable mixture of- of I don't know what to call it! Oil? Molasses? And that shoe is _still _stuck to the floor! I can't tell Mother, she'll flay me, and the servants will tell her, and Terah would kill me! I can't even use that room anymo-"   
  
"It was a joke," Trenel said mildly. "You got me back by pouring juice down my back, while I was _trying _to study for my exam..."   
  
Elesia looked across at Selene, her eyes twinkling with mirth. She bit her lip, trying to supress the giggle that was escaping her, but failed. Trenel watched her, a curious look in his grey eyes that was a mixture between surprise and preference.   
  
"I think they're getting along well," Corren whispered, his golden eyes sparkling with humor as Trenel's face flushed first red, then white. "He's actually nervous."   
  
"Thats a good sign?" she breathed, trying to remain quiet.   
  
He grinned. "Surprisingly, yes. He's only worried when he truly cares." Corren smoothed his shirt sleeves, white silk under a green and gold tunic. "We shall be there soon," he remarked to the others.   
  
Selene swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. In the distance, the castle sparkled with lights, a gilded beacon in the darkening sky.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Corren led Selene out of the carriage and up the long, pale marble stairs. The sound of genteel conversation and swishing silk skirts increased in intensity as they slowly walked closer to the crowd.   
  
The musicians, sitting close to the thrones, struck a tune, their four stringed instruments ringing with the sound. Couples broke off and entered the shining gold center of the ballroom, twirling joyously in a riot of colors.   
  
"Corren," Selene breathed, her hand tight on his arm, "I cannot dance! Whatever should i do?"   
  
He sighed with relief. "I'm glad, I really don't want to go out there." Pausing in the throng of watchers, he cocked his head. "But don't you wish to try?"   
  
"Of course!" she exclaimed, "But i don't want to make a fool of either of us, surrounded by spinning nobles and such! Dancing is not training for a doctor," she reminded him. As it was, she barely remembered the lessons she had taken as a young girl, quickly discarded for the rounds and medicine of her father's occupation.   
  
His green eyes sparkled. "I think I have an idea." Taking her hand, he tugged on it gently. "Come on."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
copyright sorka robinton 2001  
  



	9. Love

sorry for taking so long...and thanks for being patient. i had all my tests and crap.   
  
sorry people its extremely loveydovey and a confusing chapter.   
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Where are we going?" Selene laughed, slightly unnerved, as Corren skillfully guided her through the crowd without any mishaps.   
  
He grinned, tugging on her hand, ignoring the flush that was growing over his cheeks. Pushing aside a curtain in a window far from the dizzying group of dancers, he led her onto a balcony set far above the castle grounds. "See?" he said triumphantly. "You can still hear the music, but no one can see you!"   
  
A giggle ticked the back of her throat, his spontaneous charm making her smile. "Its amazing!" she exclaimed. Her delicate shoes tapped quietly on the polished floor, composed of beautiful lapis lazuli and pure white marble.   
  
"Shall we?" he asked, extending his hand. Thanks to the deep blue of the sky, though starless that night, she could not see the slight tremble as he waited the tiny pause for her to accept or shy away.   
  
Taking his hand, cheeks hot, she asked one simple question. "How?"   
  
Stepping back, he spread his arms out in dismay. "I am not the most able teacher."   
  
"Instead," she replied, "I suppose I shall sit, then." Selene, carefully so she would not crease her skirts, delicately sat on the polished blue bench. The prince sat next to her, and her shyness began to get the better of her.   
  
Avoiding his gaze, she instead regarded their surroundings. Her green eyes took in the deep purple curtains, and the silver gilt lantern he had no doubt snatched from the crowded ballroom. "It's dark already?" she said.   
  
He shrugged, staring at the moon. "It's quite late," he replied quietly. He patted the top of the lamp, placed next to them on the floor. "I brought this, because the hangings do block out much of the light and brightness of the party inside. I know because," he grinned, "this is where I hide during state occasions."   
  
Her laughter filled the chilly air. "Truly? Will not your family miss your presence?"   
  
"Of course not!" Corren said, indignant. "I've been doing this for years!"   
  
She looked at him, dubious. "Are you sure?" Standing, she peered between the heavy velvet curtains. "Well...I do suppose you're right."   
  
"Of course I am," he said smugly, looking up at her. With a exasperated sigh, she gently tapped the top of his head with her palm, her fingers tangling accidentally in his dark hair.   
  
"Oh...sorry," she said, feeling horrible as one of her bracelets, emeralds set in gold, twisted in the silky locks. "Oh dear. This is terrible." She managed to dislodge it without much discomfort on Corren's part, as he tried to help even though he couldn't see.   
  
"It's out," she told him. Smiling in relief, her palm still flat on his head, the prince took her hand and held it in both of his. Selene blushed as he drew her down next to him.   
  
His eyes stared at her face, into her eyes, both worry and joy in their crystalline facets. She returned his gaze, tilting her head back slightly to accomodate the height difference. The flecks of gold in his kind, warm glance fell around her like stardust...and she knew. For sure. It was just as her father had said, a shower of love that surrounded her senses and warmed her heart.   
  
Selene brought her other hand up to clasp his, wrapped around her chilled fingers. A breath of relief escaped his parted lips, a prayer of some kind, as she silently answered his unspoken question.   
  
Dislodging one hand from their tangle, he stroked a wayward strand of gold hair away from her upturned face. Bowed over her, their eyes meeting, he swept her up in a tight hug, until she was lifted from the bench. Wrapping his arms around his neck, she sighed with happiness. "Mmm," he said, his forehead warm against the side of her face. Selene giggled as she was pulled upwards, joyfully swung and held tightly on his lap. "Selene!"   
  
"What?" she laughed, as she placed her small hands on either side of his face and kissed him. Corren responded exactly as she hoped, both thoroughly enjoying each other's love.   
  
When they parted, it was only to a hands width. "Corren," she whispered, "I love you."   
  
He simply tightened his arms around her shoulders, bringing her as close as possible to him. "I love you back." His warm breath tickled the side of her face, heating the chilled pale cheek.   
  
Tilting her head back, she watched his face solemnly. "Are you sure? A Crown Prince and a mere servant girl?" Her mind forced itself to forget her less-than-humble background. Just forget the past, she told herself, and only see the wonderous creature before you, whom you love.   
  
He grasped her even tighter, refusing to let go. "I love you. Now and forever," he said firmly. "No matter what you are, what you do."   
  
She snuggled closer with a small sigh. "I'm glad," Selene said, her eyes closed. "So glad." The girl, content, squeezed Corren's freezing hands. "Are you cold?"   
  
He shuddered. "Positively chilled." Corren smiled, his bright grin lighting up her soul to its very center. "You?"   
  
"Frozen." Undoing the button of his cloak, Corren wrapped both of them in the warm grey wool. "Now i'm warm," she told him.   
  
She held out her hand, and he took it.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  



	10. two weeks before

hey sorry its been a while...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
_"Where are they?" Elesia said, peering around the room, blushing slightly from talking and standing quite near to the young Lord.   
  
Trenel shrugged. "Hiding? That's what he usually does." Gesturing with his head, he smiled and took her hand. "I think I know where, too." Leading her though the dizzying crowd, they slipped through the amethyst curtains.   
  
"Shh," the girl told him. Peeking around, they watched wide-eyed at the couple snuggled on the bench.   
  
"I can't resist," Trenel murmured, and jumped out with a roar.   
  
And as suspected, the couple shrieked and Trenel was in a lot of trouble..._  
  
"Selene!" Elesia shook the girl. "Are you there?"   
  
"Huh?"   
  
"You were dazing off into the air..." The girl giggled. "Are you thinking of him again?"   
  
Selene grinned. "Maybe," she said gleefully.   
  
The maids bustled in with the sewing. "And you know," one said to the other, "If he doesn't betroth before 'is birthday, there will be a terrible famine!"   
  
"Do say?" the other said breathlessly. "Will that be true?"  
  
"Of course not!" Elesia interjected, her gentle voice sharp. "It's just a rumor."   
  
"Well, Miss," the maid said sternly, "Tell that to the townsfolk. They all believe thet. Its been generations since the last drought, but- "she lowered her voice confidentially- "my uncle said that the heir that year didn't betroth in time!"   
  
"That's silly."   
  
Stitching the hem, Selene bit her lip before she said anything rash. With less than a month to Corren's birthday, she had so little time before he would be seen on the castle Balcony, holding the hand of a suitable match...she couldn't finish the thought. Smoothing the white cloth with a shaking hand, the girl tried not to think about life without the Prince.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Father!" he complained.   
  
The king sighed. "Well, it has to be done now, doesn't it? With your future subjects whining and gossiping as they are...there is only two weeks! The invitations are sent out, for the Ball three days before. You cannot expect to get out of it," he warned Corren. "It must be."   
  
"What if..." his voice faltered. "There is no one I love out of those Mother paraded in front of me already?"   
  
His father glared. "Find someone then! I cannot have anarchy in my City!" Throwing a pouch of gold at Corren, he waved him away. "Go now. And most Princes love spending their father's money, you should do the same for once."   
  
Corren grinned.   
  
"But just this once," the King teased before turning back to his documents.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nothing happened much in the three weeks that lapsed between the first Ball and the second, grander affair. Selene turned seventeen, though none but Elesia sat with her as she lit the white candle for good luck.  
  
"You're the same age as me, almost," remarked Elesia, who had turned seventeen nearly nine months ago.   
  
"Almost."   
  
"You're still thinking about him, aren't you?" Elesia said softly.   
  
Selene nodded. "He hasn't visited in two weeks, I haven't heard any new rumors...El, what am I going to do?" she wailed. "He's to be married, and... and..."   
  
"Maybe he can marry you."   
  
Sniffling, she shook her head. "A Prince and a servant?" Smiling wryly, Selene wiped her eyes. "That's to happen when Pertia decides to be a kindly old women who sponsors charity events."   
  
Elesia grinned. "That could happen, if she needed to boost her reputation."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Corren stood in the seventh jewelry shop, examining the wares with a careful eye. "Gods, let this be over soon," he muttered.   
  
Sifting through the cases of rings, in all shapes and sizes, he sighed. Emeralds for Selene, to match her eyes? He held up a large, squarish stone set in gold. It would weigh her hand down, confine her.   
  
A glittering light caught his eye. Reaching for the delicate ring, he gasped. A sapphire, not to large or small, the diameter only the length of a watermelon seed, set in gold with two diamonds flanking it left and right. The cut of the stone, unique from the others, shimmered like a star in his hand.   
  
"Shopkeeper?" he said briskly. "I'll take this one."   
  
"Your Highness," the man said, not quite protesting. "It's not the largest stone I have in stock."   
  
Remembering the heavy, inch long diamond his mother wore, Corren shook his head. "I think this will be fine," he said joyfully to the man, who smiled understandingly. As it was wrapped in a wooden box, the only view in his mind was the band of gold and stones encircling Selene's delicate finger...if she would have him as her husband.   
  
A new problem entered his mind at this thought, sending him spinning back into the pit of agony. How would he ask her? What if she refused...  
  
Stumbling off, he locked himself in his room and sat for hours on the balcony, eyes shut, trying desperately to solve his heart's problem.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~


	11. the second ball

sorry its been a long time..but i have writers block...so to make it up, this will be a good, extra long chapter.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The last week had come.   
  
Corren stared into his pillow, knowing that by the next ball tomorrow he would be betrothed to someone, hopefully Selene. And he had no choice, because the rumors in the City was that fire from the sky would burn them all if he did not marry soon.   
  
Stupid idiots. What was the rush? No meteor would cut short their breath if he didn't marry.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I suppose it's time to prepare," Elesia said, shaking out her silk gown from the last ball. "Mother's still angry with me, so could you help me do my hair again?"   
  
Selene grimaced. "It won't look the way Terah did it. I'm all thumbs."   
  
Carriage wheels clattered over the cobblestones. "Girls?" The motherly voice of the old nurse rang out with all the skill of repremanding careless children. "Where are you?"   
  
"Terah?"   
  
"The one and only."   
  
"In the attic," Selene called out, opening the doors to the staircase. The woman arrived up the stairs breathless, with her followers carrying boxes. "What is all this?" The young maids grinned, pleased with their burdens.   
  
Terah snorted. "It's not fashionable to be seen in the same dress for two consecutive balls. Or three, for that matter." Waving away all protests, she accepted their profuse thanks.   
  
And so the evening saw Selene in white and gold, the beautifully embroidered gold skirts and bodice gleaming in the lantern light. Hair bound up traditionally instead of trendfully in a heavy braided bun, Terah carefully placed a delicate diamond and gold crown on the golden mass of shimmering locks.   
  
"Is this blasphemous?" she asked idly, spinning the chain of her diamond necklace between two fingers. "I'm not the King or Queen."   
  
"Oh, don't worry about _that_," the woman said cryptically. "It's fitting. Besides," she added quickly before Selene asked a question. "Other women wear crowns besides the monarchs. But only as decorations."   
  
"Ready, Selene?" Elesia squealed. Her face, normally so reserved, was open and shining as she twirled around. "Do I look all right?" Her rose pink skirts swirled around her, hair once again in a long braid with rose quartz droplets bound into the auburn mass.   
  
And, decked out in finery, they were met by Corren and Trenel near the gate, same as the last time. As he took her hand, Selene paled slightly at the thought of him, married, but stoically smiled and entered the pretty vehicle.   
  
Trenel, in one of his barding moods, sang a sonnet to the blushing Elesia, though she thoroughly enjoyed the attention of the handsome young man, a duke-to-be.   
  
Elenia scowled, but flounced off to her Lord in his carriage. Mother had always said she was the greater of the twins, and she was determined not to let _this _humiliating sister ruin her night.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Corren fingered the circle of gold in his pocket. How was he ever going to muster up the courage...?   
  
Next to him, Selene was daintily eating her dinner, manners and ettiquette returning to her memory after so many years. The covert glances down the table from the younger nobles was a testimony to her beauty, yet the young men's eager glances did not catch her eye contact.   
  
Not that she didn't notice the looks from the young women. They _knew _he was honor-bound to betroth himself that night, and they were all hopeful despite the Lady sitting at his right. Their gazes were a mix of envy and wistfulness, though none were actually malicious.   
  
Corren sighed, picking up his fork. Determined to finish the meal, he choked down the delicious food as his stomach fluttered with nervousness.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Selene whirled experimentally around the dance floor. Since the last ball, Elesia had managed to teach her the simpler aspects of dancing, and she had yet to tangle herself into a mess. Her partner, a twenty-something year old noble, seemed to be an expert.   
  
She sighed inwardly, for Corren was across the large room as his mother introduced several maidens, each who curtsyed gracefully. "And he will be betrothed this week," she whispered, blinking back tears.   
  
"Excuse me?" her partner said courteously.   
  
"My apologies," Selene demurred. "It was not of any consequence." He nodded, satisfied with this polite answer, and twirled her around for the rest of the dance.   
  
Bowing to her, and kissing her extended hand through its delicate silk glove, he smiled. "It was my pleasure for this brief acquaintance."   
  
"And mine, good sir," she replied, as the courtly ettiquette demanded.   
  
As she departed to the chairs, gracefully declining several offers for a dance or two, Corren caught her eye. Gesturing with his head, he indicated their curtained balcony, and she quietly and inconspicuously made her way through the crowd.  
  
As soon as the velvet slid back into place behind them, cutting off the ballroom from the starry night sky, the prince let out a breath of relief. "It's good to be away from all those people."   
  
"Yes, it is," she replied, slightly detached.   
  
He cleared his throat, eyes wild with nerves as he fidgeted by the railing. "How are you doing?"   
  
"I'm fine, it's a lovely ball. I am thoroughly enjoying myself, your Highness."   
  
Corren grimaced. "Is that the way you want to talk? Then I shall say, 'The weather is exquisite, clear as a golden bell rung by the hand of the sweetest Lady.'" He picked up her hand, but it remained soft and limp, and she made no answer. He sighed. "Selene, what's the matter?"   
  
A single tear slid down her cheek and her aloofness broke as a small spasm shook her shoulders. "After this, I won't see you again. Ever!" Her last word was a quiet wail, her face clearly distraught.   
  
"You don't want to? See me again?" he whispered, hands shaking as he pulled her closer. What was going on?  
  
She stared up at him with surprise. "It's not that I don't wish to, Corren. I cannot!" she exclaimed. "After all, you're to be married and-"   
  
He stopped her with an upraised hand. "Is this what it's about?" he said, well pleased. "My marriage?" Selene nodded, and buried her face into his tunic. Well, he was in luck! Corren thought to himself. It wasn't that she didn't love him...  
  
Then he snapped back into the present, to his current problem. She had stopped crying but her face was grimly set, and she was staring straight out into the sky. "I'm going to miss you," she said, voice oddly muted. "But I suppose I'll be content with the starwish." She held out her hand and cupped the silver star, the north star, in her fingertips, but it sagged sorrowfully and drooped down with it's own unhappy weight. Closing her eyes, one more tear left it's track over her pale cheek.   
  
And it was then that a smooth, heavy circle was placed in the center of her palm.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Opening her green eyes, the first thing she saw was Corren, hovering above her anxiously. Then she focused on the small round thing in her hand, a tiny circlet of gold crowned by a sapphire.   
  
"Is..." she breathed. He took a deep breath, and cradled her hand within both of his.   
  
Meeting his eyes, Selene saw the unasked question in his gold-brown eyes before he even spoke. "Will you marry me?"   
  
Maintaining eye contact, she gazed directly into his face. "Will you marry me? A poor servant girl, with no penny to her name?"   
  
"Yes, I will."   
  
"With no reletives? And nothing to offer the royal family?"   
  
"Yes." He smiled faintly. "If you will have a clumsy, uncivilized, and completely out-of-place Prince, who will positively manage to ruin every banquet, meeting, and ball ever created?"   
  
"Then," she smiled up into his face. "I will marry you."   
  
Sweeping her up into a tight embrace, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," he mumbled into her hair, feeling like bawling himself at the moment.   
  
"I thank you too," she added, her own maudlin emotions getting the better of her. "By the way, what are your parents going to say?"   
  
He grinned. "I think they'll see it through my eyes, one way or another."   
  
Selene laughed into the crisp air. "I cannot wait to tell Elesia!"   
  
"Then, let's go, by all means." Grabbing her hand, Corren tugged on it gently. "Can we possibly wait to tell the happy news? Trenel will be estatic, and will probably dance in circles."   
  
Her silverly laugh echoed through the cold air. "Don't laugh, love. I'll probably be doing the same."   
  
~~~~~~~  
  



	12. the book of nobles

heys, sorry its been so long...again...short chapter...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Selene woke up the next morning strangly exuberant, until the clasp of the smooth gold on her first finger awakened her memories. Doing an impromptu dance around her attic, she hugged her ball gown and dressed quickly.   
  
Tripping down the stairs, she collided directly with Elesia. "Lessie!" she cried. "It's a wonderful day!"  
  
Her stepsister grinned, curly brown hair bouncing. "It's wonderful because..." she teased. "Really, Selene, this is fantastic! You can escape, in a way..." She paused. "How are you going to tell Mother? And Elenia?"   
  
Sobering, Selene twirled a bit of golden hair in her fingertips. "I have no idea," she mumbled. "I'm...scared?"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Corren took the deepest breath he had ever inhaled in his life. "Corren," his father prompted, "You've been standing here for seven minutes, did you have something to say?"   
  
He sighed. "Yes, I do." Swallowing hard, he muttered, "I asked someone to marry me, without your _exact _permission, and..."   
  
"Why, thats wonderful!" his mother exclaimed.   
  
"Besides, the people were just about ready to commit mass suicide," the King commented sourly. "I never suspected what complete idiots my subjects were, but I underestimated their compacity for stupidity. But back to the subject," he smiled, "who is the bride-to-be?"   
  
"I have to get this straight," Corren said candidly. "She is not a noble, has no dowry, no formal craft title, and she has accepted."   
  
"Ella?" his sister asked.  
  
"Yes." He cringed, waiting for the scathing teasing only an older sister could perform.   
  
"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I always liked her, she'll keep a good eye on you, little brother. And you need it. Why are you looking at me like that?"   
  
"I thought you wouldn't like it," he mumbled.   
  
"We approve," his parents chorased. "You would have been so unhappy with someone stuffy."   
  
"We agreed on one thing," Corren began. "Her...her name isn't Ella, for one. They call her that at Duchess Pertia's home, but her name is really Selene."   
  
His father sat silent for a moment. "Selene, you say?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
Standing up hastily, the King grabbed his wife's hand. At a near run, the family quickly followed him to the library, where he grabbed a thick leather-bound volume,_The Book of Nobles_, from the shelf. Running his finger down the pages, he halted over one gold-inscribed name: Selene of Arelde, daughter of the late Duke Roane.   
  
"Gods," he moaned, not appearing like a King but rather like a man who has made a grave mistake, "I forgot his daughter!"   
  
"What?" Corren gasped.   
  
"Selene, Duke's daughter," his mother whispered. "Would Pertia have...she couldn't have..."   
  
"But she did," the King said grimly.   
  
"Pertia _stole _the estate? _Hid _and _enslaved _the girl?!" the princess said, a wrinkle forming on her brow.   
  
"It appears so," the King replied. "We have to set it right. The Gods only know what will happen when Selene announces the marriage to that witch-woman! Grab a horse or two, and Trenel," he commanded Corren, "We'll be right behind you. Hurry, boy!" As he ran through the hall, Corren could hear his father's furious roar as he called the palace to his assistance.   
  
Banging on Trenel's door, he barged in and grabbed the sleepy boy by the arm, shouting into his ear while his cousin yawned and protested. Within two minutes, a fully dressed Trenel and an anxious Corren were off on horseback, racing through the castle's silver gates.   
  
~~~~~~~~~`


	13. elna plant

hey, sorry its been extremely long...writers block and school are a bad combination. i hope this longish chapter will make up for it...its sorta long...sorta kinda...  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Selene trudged up to the left attic room, mood slightly dampened with the coming event: telling Pertia what happened. She slammed the door and collapsed on her bed. "Why me?" she moaned.   
  
"Why me?" a sarcastic voice echoed from the corner. Pertia stood in the corner, smiling cruelly, the sapphire ring in her hand. "Why me? Don't you know that there's a multitude of females, with more prospects and wealth, who would give their right foot for this opportunity?"   
  
"What are you doing here-" Selene breathed, but the woman stopped her words.   
  
Her voice changed suddenly. "I know how confused you must be," she said kindly, tilting her head to one side. Walking up to Selene, who had stood up hastily, she asked, "What's wrong?" Taking her left hand, Pertia slipped the ring on the girl's fourth finger. "I'm so happy for you."   
  
Something in the Stepmother's eyes frightened Selene, and she circled away from the woman. But with a harsh jerk, the taller, heavier Pertia slammed her shoulders against the attic wall. Yanking her long braid, uncovered by its protective kerchief, she pushed her to the floor and knelt on the small of her back. Selene's head hit the edge of the old table and she felt a warm wetness on the side of her face. Pain flooded her mind.   
  
She screamed, the shrill cry echoing in her ears as the woman slapped her fiercely and jammed a hankerchief to her face. Selene fought, twisting from side to side wildly, but it was too late. Against her will she inhaled, and the cloying smell of the soporific made her head spin.   
  
As she slowly relaxed, Pertia whispered in her ear, "Sweet dreams, my dear. I'll deal with you later, as I did your father..."   
  
Selene gasped, and the world faded into darkness. The last thing she remembered was rough hands tying her own with scratchy rope, painfully behind her back.   
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Elesia shrieked downstairs, an echo of Selene's own cry. The girl, so shy and reserved, shot up the stairs, skirts gathered in one hand. "Selene?" she shouted, all inhibitions gone. "Selene!"   
  
She slapped the door open with her fist, as Pertia quietly stood staring at the figure on the floor. "Mother?" she gasped, as the woman turned around. Running to her stepsister, she grabbed her apron and reached for her stepsister's still face. But Pertia, from behind, dragged the painfully slender girl easily into the next chamber, despite screams and cries for help. "Let me go!" Elesia's raking hand disheveled her mother's greying hair, but she was tossed inside nonetheless. With steady hand, Pertia slipped the ornate silver key into the lock, and heard the satisfying snick of the bolt.   
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Corren and Trenel banged on the large front door. "Hello? Selene? Elesia? Anyone?"   
  
Pertia hissed. "Elenia, get that!" she called, staring at the smears of blood on her hand, the strands of grey hair hanging and sweaty. She left the kitchen, dropping the set of keys in the barrel of flour.   
  
The girl flounced in. "What now, Mother? I was d-" she stopped, staring. "What happened?" she shrieked, blue eyes wide. "Is that blood?"   
  
"Of course. Please answer the door. The servants are at market, like I sent them. Daughter, I have your fortune made?"   
  
"What..." Elenia whispered, eyes still fixed on the scarlet drops as her mother moved towards a pitcher of water. "Fortune?"   
  
Pertia smiled smugly. "I've gotten rid of that brat girl."   
  
"Selene?" she cried out.   
  
"Don't use that name!" Pertia snapped.   
  
"You killed her?" Tears began to slide down Elenia's face. "Mother?"   
  
"What do you care?" the woman continued. "With her gone, you can easily win fame and fortune, with your beauty and prospects. I will only have the best for you!"   
  
"Where is she? Mother, I cannot believe this!" The banging continued on the door, as Pertia calmly began to wash the crimson stains from her wrists. Elenia's hysterical screams grew in intensity. "You hurt her?"   
  
"And?"   
  
"I admit I am jealous of her, but...Did you really kill her, Mother?"   
  
Pertia smiled, holding out her arms. "I'm doing it for you, darling." Elenia backed away, eyes large and frightened. "Dearest?" Her voice hardened. "Are you not grateful?"   
  
"What about Stepfather?" she whispered, trying to make time, as she slowly inched towards the door. "He was kindly, I do remember."   
  
"He was useless!" Pertia dismissed the man she married in an instant. "With his money and power, we-" Elenia jumped for the door, opening it quickly. Corren burst in, Trenel on his heels.   
  
"Why didn't you answer the..." Trenel drifted off, his keen grey eyes taking in the condition of the room. Corren himself did not stare at anything in general, just scanning for sight of his love. The rosy water still lay in the basin, the scratch on Pertia's cheek, it just didn't add up.   
  
Elenia threw herself violently away, behind both young men. "Get me away from her! Murderer!" she sobbed, curling up behind the ornate velvet couch. "I cannot believe you."   
  
Corren, golden eyes furious, only saw the blood on Pertia's wrist. "Where is she?" he shouted wildly, rushing to the woman and shaking her. The stepmother's head snapped back and forth with each flexing of his fingers. "What did you do with her?"   
  
The crazed woman laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know!" she cackled. She seemed almost impervious to the pain. "There are one hundred and two chambers in this dank palace, I counted yesterday, and I threw the keys in the well!"   
  
"Where-is-she?" he yelled into her face.   
  
But Pertia continued to babble, not answering his question. "She's drugged, you know. By the time you find her, she will be dead. I at least hope so, Prince." She spat the last word hatefully.   
  
Trenel secured her wrists to the doorhandle, leaving her ranting wildly to herself. "Is she crazy, or just pretending?" Trenel asked quietly.   
  
"I don't know!" Corren cried out. "Where is Selene?"   
  
Elenia spoke up tearfully from the corner. "And where is my sister?" she asked softly, looking around her carefully. "They're never apart, a minute at the most. And she wasn't lying about the rooms..."   
  
Trenel stared at her. "What happened here?" he asked briskly.   
  
"I don't know," she wept. "I came in here, after practicing that stupid lap-harp..." she trailed off. "And Mother came in here, her hair all messed up, and smears of blood on her hand!"   
  
Corren managed a strangled gasp. "Do you know where, possibly, she could be?" Elenia shook her head wildly, still sitting desolately on the floor.   
  
"I'm sorry I was so mean to her!" she cried. "I don't want her to die! Or my sister, where is she? Mother, where is Elesia?" The woman smiled to herself, testing the strength of the ropes binding her hands. When they did not budge, she laughed a little bit.   
  
The prince tore up the flight of stairs, testing the doorhandles. "They're all locked!" he yelled, voice echoing through the long hallway. Trenel listened to the air.   
  
"Do you hear anything?" he asked, his usually joking manner muted. They became quiet, and below Pertia's ranting and Elenia's sobbing they heard brief thumps. "That?"   
  
They took the most logical path, up the long, rickety staircase, the boards squeaking shrilly as they moved. Downstairs, the two boys could hear the tearful Elenia letting in the King and Queen, the troop of soldiers taking hold of the crazed woman.   
  
The pounding became louder, and Corren shouted, "Stand back!" before knocking the old wooden door off its hinges. "Corren?" the girl said breathlessly. "She's not here, she's in the other one. Trenel!" she cried, running into his shocked arms. For a brief moment, his grey eyes were surprised, and the prince smiled a little bit.   
  
The next instant, he broke through the door of the adjacent attic room.   
  
Selene lay on the floor, a trickle of blood running down one bruised cheek. "Selene?" he whispered, afraid of what he might find. Stumbling over to her form, he touched her cheek gently, leaning in close. Was she breathing?  
  
With a sigh of relief, he felt the slightly warm wash of air lightly touch his face. "She's breathing!" he said, sighing with happiness. "She's alive!" Corren stared down at her face, and despite the blood and bruise, he believed she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on.   
  
Trenel sighed, arm around a limp and frightened Elesia. "We found her, cousin. One hundred and two chambers, and we found her." His grey eyes were merry once more, losing the fearful spark that had marred their cheerfulness, until he noticed his girlfriend trembling. "What's wrong, Lessy?"   
  
Elesia, a tear running down her cheek, pointed to the ground. "Elna plant," she whispered. "Induces sleep. Pertia was not much of an expert, anyhow." Explaining, she showed them the tiny bottle. "Only a few drops, for safety, it's so very potent. You must get her to a healer. She used the whole bottle..."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
i don't know whether to make it sad and shock you, or make it happy and satisfying. probably the latter, im a sucker for those.   
  
another chapter coming! hopefully sooner than later...


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